Today we land in Juneau. It is a little wierd, I have been to this northern city so many times. A place that I have never lived, but know my way about reasonably well. The ritual is always the same… Check the boat, go over the shopping list, drive about town to buy the mountain of supplies it takes to spend a week or two exploring and fishing. Fred Meyer, Costco, Western Marine… The places where I can find the mutitude of items on The List.
The Nordic Quest underway near Tenakee, AKBetween stops for groceries, there may be a trip or two to the airport to meet a flight. Not that Juneau Airport is any trouble. Three gates, one baggage claim, you can park just a few yards from where your folks are grabbing the bags. An uncle, a good family friend, the rest of the crew for the trip. Another run down Eagan drive to Aurora Harbor.
Errands completed, grocieries stowed, we will finally slip the lines and head down Gasineau Channel. The desination is Icy Strait and Glacier Bay. We will not make it all the way there, getting started too late in the day. Where will we anchor for the night? Swanson Harbor? Funter Bay? Depends on how late we get started, how long the light lasts.
Arrival in Juneau is always pleasant. This is a very small airport, far smaller than even Kona or Hilo. As a result there are no long lines, no mile long walk to the rental car agency, no shuttle vans or snarled traffic awaiting once you do free yourself from the terminal. Walk from the gate down one flight of stairs to the single baggage claim. Forty feet from the luggage you find the rental desks, where you pick up a key and walk out into the parking lot just outside the terminal for your vehicle. A complete contrast to our experience with the enormous labyrinth that is SEA or PDX.
The jet was a 737-800 Combi model, the front half was air cargo, with a bulkhead just over the wing. We boarded and debarked by walking across the tarmac to stairs at the tail of the plane. I expect to walk across the flightline in Kona, but at SeaTac?!
Alaska Air flight 61 unloads cargo and passengers in Juneau
It is always a little wierd… I am just starting a vacation, in a plane of folks who are ending theirs. Thus is the strangeness of living in Hawai’i. Talking in the gate with fellow passengers I get asked how was my vacation, “Don’t know yet, I am just starting out”. The reaction is always the same, a little surprise and a little envy, “Oh! you live here!” A good way to start a conversation, we all have little else to do but kill time.
Alaska flight 804 eastbound over the Pacific, bound for Seattle.One part I never look forward to is the first part of the trip, the five hour hop to the mainland. This will make the third time in a month counting last months trip to visit family and attend Oregon Star Party. Four times in two months, then I stay home for a while.
The flight does not start well, a loud thud and a lurch are all we get when we should be rolling back from the gate. It seems the ground crew has broken a tow-bar. The delay turns the pilot’s promise of an early departure into a fifteen minute delay as they inspect the nose landing gear for possible damage.
This time I remebered to pack a water bottle and some munchies. A bag of cajun spiced trail mix keeps hunger at bay. At least until I can get a quick dinner in the terminal at SeaTac. That will have to do, arrival in Portland will not occur until a bit before midnight.
Overnight in Portland, a chance to have breakfast with my mother before heading to the airport and another flight. This time the destination is Juneau, flying with my Father to pick up the boat.
The tickets were booked far enough ahead that I had my choice of seats. A window seat as usual, I do enjoy the view. This time we went right over the cauldera of Haleakula. I set up the GoPro to do a timelapse using a suction cup mount in the window, it should be a nice bit of video. I hope to use the GoPro in a little creative fun, inspired by some of Mark’s latest projects.
Five hours to Seattle. Three of those hours are now gone as I write this. Two more hours in this seat. At least the inevitable crying baby is far enough forward that the screams are muffled. I look up from typing at a seemingly endless expanse of water and clouds. Pretty, but the sight of land and the end of this flight will be welcome.
Again we are taking the boat out, another voyage on the Nordic Quest. This time the destination is Icy Strait, Glacier Bay and other points west of Juneau. It has been a few years since I have been through this area, it should be fun. There are old favorite sights that I can see over gain, there are a few places I have meant to check, hopefully there will be opportunities to do so.
Gone Fishing may be a misleading title, I pack no fishing gear. I do pack plenty of camera gear. If past trips are any indication there will be plenty of photos as a result of this journey.
Never fear, no internet does not mean a lack of posts here on Darker View. I have scheduled plenty of material to post while I am traveling. I admit some of these are old articles, yes, there are reposts. But they are good old articles! I am still moving stuff from the old blog, and this is as good an excuse as any to move over some more Alaska posts and photos. There is also some really old stuff, some things salvaged from my old website that predates the blog. I have put some of this under a new category, Fish Tales.
I hope to return to civilization eventually. Hopefully well supplied with Salmon and Halibut. Until then, enjoy a little visual beauty…
So I shot M31… yet again. I admit I enjoy this target, it is just so much fun. I always think I can do a little bit better. It is color balance that has been my bugaboo lately, I have really been playing with my technique to achieve a decent color balance. Something aesthetically pleasing and something that bears at least a little resemblance to reality. I understand how objective these criteria are, but still… I try.
Be sure to click on the image to get the large version…
The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, taken 9Aug2013 at the Oregon Star Party, M32 and M110 are also visible, TV-76 with Canon 60D, 17x480s + 10x60s
Today the planet Neptune will pass through opposition, directly opposite the Sun in our sky. The planet will be well placed for observation all night long, rising at sunset, transiting at midnight, and setting at sunrise. If you are looking to observe Neptune, it is currently shining at magnitude 7.8 in the center of the constellation Aquarius.
